In June 2024, a client came to us after being charged an eye-watering $314,014.70 by her property and family lawyer. She had already paid $308,328.68 toward her legal fees, but something felt off—so she turned to us for help.
Upon reviewing her documents, we uncovered a serious issue: the lawyer had failed to provide a costs agreement for six months. This meant our client had no clear understanding of how much she was being charged - a clear violation of transparency and fairness.
Determined to challenge these unfair fees, we took decisive action by filing a summons for taxation in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Costs Court, to have the invoices formally assessed. During the legal process, we attended mediation with the opposing lawyer and successfully negotiated a $30,216.20 reduction, plus $12,000 payable by the lawyer toward our client's legal costs. The final outcome? A $25,000 refund directly back into our client’s pocket, along with a waiver of the unpaid fees!
Our client was absolutely elated with the result - a win not just in dollars, but in fairness and justice.